Fears
by Smurfs
Summary: Rory must face her fears...
1. Witch

A/N: All flashbacks are in four of these *. Luke and Lorelai are already together.  
  
Dediction-To my wonderful Beta, roomie, and friend Katie! Also the purple polka dotted elephant that helped me (and annoyed me to no end) to write this and helping me when I was stuck.(I swear she's real! She's actually a person although when I was hyper I told her she was a polka dotted elephant.)  
  
Pairing: Trory, Java Junkie, Dipper.  
  
Fears ~ Chapter 1 ~ Witch!  
  
"1,2,3 . 1,2,3" Miss Patty's voice boomed in the background as she waved her hands to go along with the counting. Rory glanced at Miss Patty and her dancers clad in vegetable outfits wondering what town would need vegetables dancing.  
  
"So remind me again how we got roped into this Hartford party," Lorelai began "I have no idea how my mother does it! I keep telling her no, she keeps asking in a different way and then all I can remember coming out of my mouth is, 'Sure Mom.'" Lorelai stopped mid-rant pondering this for a moment before continuing "I think she's a witch!"  
  
"Grandma is not a witch. She's just.a very good manipulator." Rory the voice of reason tried to explain to her mother as they passed the gazebo and reached Luke's Diner.  
  
"I like my theory better." Lorelai said as she opened the door to Luke's and heard the familiar jingle of the bells. "Counter or table?" Lorelai asked sitting down at the counter.  
  
"What would you have done if I said table?"  
  
"Pretended not to hear you and sit down at the counter anyways."  
  
"Why would you ask then?"  
  
"Just so I would look nice, and caring."  
  
"You would be if you bought me coffee." Rory made her best puppy dog eyes and fluttered her eyelashes at her mother, but Lorelai wouldn't have any of it.  
  
Lorelai pointed an accusing finger at Rory "Nice try my darling daughter, but it's your, turn to buy the coffee"  
  
"Fine." Rory sighed resigned and turned to Luke who was arguing with Taylor. "Luke can we have some coffee please!" She tried shouting over though yelling even the she knew it would be pointless to try to get his attention.  
  
Glancing for a whole second at Lorelai, and Rory, Luke turned his attention back to Taylor ignoring them.  
  
"I DID NOT give you permission to decorate my windows for the summer festival!"  
  
"The whole town is participating in this Luke! All the small business's are decorating their windows why can't you? You are a part of this town, are you not?  
  
"Unfortunately I am a part of this nut job of a town!"  
  
Lorelai chose now to interrupt "You know you love us all nut jobs Lukey!"  
  
Ignoring her for a second time they continued to argue, "Now if you can leave I'd just love to get back to my business!"  
  
" LUKE DANES, I command you to put up these decorations!" Taylor tried one more time, waving a plastic sun, wearing sunglasses in the air.  
  
"That's it Taylor! Command all you want while I call the cops!" Luke threatened as he picked up the phone.  
  
Taylor gasped in shock "You wouldn't! I'll have you know I'm a respected member of this community. I am doing this for our town, call the police let's all see what they have to say about me helping out your temper against anything cheery or festive!"  
  
Lorelai and Rory sat stunned in their seats along with everyone else in the diner. None of their fights had gotten this far.  
  
When Luke started dialing the numbers to the police station Taylor spoke again visibly upset "You may have won the battle Luke, but not the war!" He stormed out nearly toppling Lane, who was entering, over.  
  
Lane glanced behind her to see what had hit her, after clarifying it was a mad Taylor she dashed for Rory's table. "Okay I have two minutes," She paused glancing at her watch "Scratch that, one minute and 28 seconds. My life, Dave and I are fine, he's doing great in California he's coming to visit this summer!" She squealed excitedly before she resumed rambling "The band's new guitarist rocks you'll meet him later. I've been missing you so much. My mother is allowing me to use the Internet but only to sites she's book marked. They all have to do with prayer, bible studies, the usual." Lane stopped to look at a plate Luke was carrying to a table. Nearly drooling Lane quickly reached out and grabbed a waffle.  
  
"Hey what the!" Luke saw it was Lane who had taken the waffle and watched as she took a huge bite out of it and mumbled something like a 'Thank You' "Your Mom still feeding you the tofu stuff" Lane nodded her had vigorously. "Poor Kid" Luke muttered as he walked away to tell Ceaser he would need more waffles.  
  
"Rory *bite* how *chew* are *Choke, cough, mumble* you?"  
  
"Yale is go-"  
  
"I'm sorry Rory got to go! The minute and a bit are up! I'll try to call you after prayer" Lane dashed off leaving Rory open mouthed and pitying her best friend.  
  
Luke re-emerged from the back carrying two plates of blueberry pancakes and a fresh pot of coffee. Placing the plates in front of the girls he took two mugs filled them and placed them on the counter for Rory and Lorelai.  
  
"I ordered while you were talking with Lane" Lorelai explained "Or more like while Lane was eating and mumbling." She chuckled then looked at her daughter with a proud face "I can't believe you finished your first year at Yale!"  
  
"I know neither can I" Rory said hugging her mother "I found this great record store by Yale, which Lane would die to visit. Guess what CD I got!"  
  
"Ooo, I know! I know!" Lorelai said waving her hand around like a first grader who had to go to the bathroom ".Wait this isn't one of those trick questions that you learned at that smart university of yours, is it?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Ok then! I guess..you found.the only Bangles CD I have missing!" Lorelai started clapping her hands along with the thought "Rory, fruit of my loins, I love you! You got me the Bangle CD I've spent my whole life looking for!"  
  
"Well.no not exactly."  
  
"Oh." Lorelai's face fell.  
  
"But it's close!"  
  
Lorelai brightened again "Do tell!"  
  
"A CD with the Rarest Foundations song!"  
  
"Does it have 'Build Me up Buttercup' on it?"  
  
"What kind of Foundation CD would it be if it didn't have 'Build Me up Buttercup'"  
  
"One not worth buying."  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"This is way you're my favorite daughter of all!"  
  
"I'm your only daughter"  
  
"Minor detail."  
  
"Of course, I found it underneath a Madonna's CD, and right before a P.Diddy CD."  
  
"Do I even want to know why you were going through that stuff?"  
  
"Hey, if I hadn't looked there you wouldn't have the Foundation CD."  
  
"Nice evading the question tactics. Teach me O' young one!"  
  
"Why thank you. I learned from the best." She replied grinning. The best of course being Lorelai.  
  
"No problem." Lorelai smiled. "Now shall we dig in?"  
  
"After you."  
  
"By the way I found you this gorgeous dress for you to wear to the party. Who knows you might meet your Prince Charming then. He'll look at you; you'll look at him. It'll be true love at first, then you'll madly dash into each other's embrace and he'll sweep you off your feet and you two will live happily ever after!"  
  
Rory scrunched up her face in disgust "I'd rather keep my heel wearing feet firmly planted on the ground."  
  
Lorelai shrugged "Your choice. Random wonderful idea! How about movie night after we bail from the party, and then we can dance to the new CD! Yes I know I'm wonderful. My fantabulous ideas, and me I don't know how I do it!  
  
"Sounds like fun. This time at the party please don't spike the punch. All the children were drunk!"  
  
Lorelai feigned a gasp "How could you say that! It wasn't me who spiked it with vodka! I would never do that," A pause. " Although they did look pretty funny stumbling around, miniature drunk elite members."  
  
"True," Rory chucled "but how do you know it was vodka?"  
  
"Everyone knows you use vodka. You can't really use anything else or it'll show. I learned that after the puneer massacre in my teenage years."  
  
"Puneer?"  
  
"Punch, beer. Parents can always tell if there's beer in the punch. That's why I used vodka at the last par-" Lorelai stopped realizing she has just admitted she had committed the crime.  
  
"AH HA! It was you!" Rory grinned triumphantly  
  
"Yes." She sighed. "I guess I won't be doing it again this time."  
  
"Good."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It was six thirty-five at the Gilmore house. Rory was sitting calmly on the sofa ready while her mother frantically ran around the room.  
  
"Rory! Have you seen my purse with the black thing with the button thingy, and that other thing hanging off of it."  
  
"On the kitchen cabinet. Where I told you I put it."  
  
"Thanks babe" Lorelai came out of the kitchen hopping up and down while trying to put her shoes on and walk at the same time. She stopped when she saw Rory. "Wow. How hard did they hit you with the pretty stick this time?"  
  
Rory looked at her halter dress it ended above her knees but had a daring slit, it was a bareback dress. She blushed; her mother had insisted she wear this. God knows how hard she tried to get out of it but Lorelai just wouldn't let her go without wearing this.  
  
****  
  
"You can either wear this or go naked!" Lorelai shouted.  
  
"I guess I'm not going."  
  
"Yes, yes you are. Either you wear this and go and everything will be fine, or you don't go and you have to deal with my *mother.* "  
  
"I'm going but NOT wearing that."  
  
"Well, good luck trying to find anything else in your closet."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"I hid all your clothes." Lorelai smirked evilly and as if reading Rory's mind said "The only thing in my closet is my dress which you certainly aren't wearing!"  
  
"I-but-you-and."  
  
"And we all know that I'm the Queen of hiding things so you won't be finding them for a while. I also will not be giving them back unless you wear this to the party."  
  
"Fine" She huffed angrily snatching the dress and storming off leaving an amused Lorelai.  
  
****  
  
"Ready for a night of hell Ror?"  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be."  
  
"Alright then let's go."  
  
Lorelai grabbed her keys, swung her purse around her shoulder and exited with Rory trailing behind. 


	2. The Party

Fears ~ Chapter 2 ~ The Party  
  
Rory stood up sipping her champagne. The sour taste burning her throat, she winced in disgust. She had just begun drinking in social environments. The taste she loathed, the effect she loved. She loved how her nerves eased, how she talked more, and loosened up.  
  
"Rory dear!" An annoyingly high voice interrupted her thoughts. "How nice to see you." Mrs. Walter shouted as she walked over. "You're looking lovely tonight."  
  
"Thank you." Rory smiled lightly feeling self-conscious again. She had worn something more daring and revealing then she ever normally would. Her hair was up in a bun, with some pieces falling around her face in light curls.  
  
Mrs. Walter kept on talking while Rory wasn't listening. She was concentrating on the painting behind her so that it would look as if she was paying attention. Her eyes took in every detail. The fine strokes, exquisite color, and visible texture. Rory wanted to reach out and step into the picture of the Spanish Steps. She wanted to be the women dancing with the man in the picture. The one gazing into his eyes as if in love. Yearning to be the one he was looking at like the mysterious women in the painting. She shook her head free of all silly thoughts and gave her full attention to the person whom was known as the most annoying women alive.  
  
"Why, if it isn't Naomi! I must go over and say hello. I'll see you later darling." And with a flick of her wrist she waltzed away to torment someone else.  
  
Rory sighed in relief that she was gone. Raising her glass to meet her lips, Rory glanced around the room. Searching through all the fake smiles and cheers to find her mother. She had been dragged away by her own mother for being immature. Failing, Rory scanned the room once more and froze in shock at whom she saw. Her blue eyes wide in shock met another pair of blue eyes. She remembered those eyes, his hair too.blonde and tousled, like always.  
  
"Tristan." she whispered slowly remembering him. She was greeted with more bad then good memories, but the good memories were wonderful. They made the bad ones worth the pain, they way he could match her in intelligence and wit, and how he made her smile. Until.the PJ Harvey concert.  
  
Rory frowned at that one memory but kept on staring at him, as did he. His eyes revealing nothing, but making her feel exposed. As if he could see within her, into parts she herself couldn't see, his gaze made her flush crimson, red. She blinked and he was gone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It had been thirty-seven minutes since she had last seen him. Who was counting though? Rory certainly wasn't.  
  
She halted a waiter, putting her glass down on the tray. Once more her gaze fell on her watch. She tried convincing herself it was only to see how long her mother had been gone for.  
  
She decided to take a breath of fresh air and started making her way to the balcony. Walk through the hordes of people that had gathered she twisted and turned inbetween people when needed. Sometimes being stopped by former classmates and people introduced to her by her grandmother and introduced less formally by her mother.  
  
****  
  
"Rory I'd like you to meet Charlotte Watts." Her grandmother had said at a previous party.  
  
"Nice to meet you" She had replied while her mother indiscreetly whispered in her ear,  
  
"Her last name may be Watts, but she's not too bright."  
  
****  
  
Just as she was about to reach the balcony a glass appeared in front of her face, and it disappeared just as quickly. Not turning around for the fear of smacking into someone else's chest. The mysterious person was close. Rory could feel the heat radiating off of a body behind her. The scent of Polo Sport wafted through the air. The person behind her was defiantly male.  
  
He stepped back giving her enough room to turn around. Slowly turning on her heel she anticipated meeting the person behind her. It was who she feared it was.Tristan.  
  
"A toast" Tristan simply stated raising a glass and handing her another.  
  
"A toast? To what?"  
  
"Us."  
  
"Us?"  
  
"Yes. If not us then at least our previous friendship?"  
  
"Can't we be friends now?"  
  
"After I treated you like I did you would still consider being friends with me?" He answered surprise evident in his voice.  
  
"But of course" She drawled smiling.  
  
"Ok," he said matching her smile. "To our re-instated friendship." He raised his glass once more, this time her glass met his creating a light *Tink* as the expensive crystal glasses met.  
  
After taking a sip Rory began questioning him. "How have you been?"  
  
"Fine." He replied simply.  
  
Rory frowned slightly as she shifted her weight to her other foot, wringing her wrist. Uncomfortable would defiantly sum up how she felt. There was something a-miss with him. He seemed more awry, tired, depressed then the Tristan she knew.and his didn't have the same energetic spark. All she wished for then was to fall back onto familiar territory with him. The territory being their bickering and bantering. After he had left no one could match her in wit except her mother, that is where she had gotten her biting wit after all. One person had come close to them in wit, and that person was Jess. They had broken up in the middle of her senior year. It was mutual and naturally they stayed good friends after. He met his present girlfriend through Rory. Rory smiled remembering Paris and Jess together.  
  
Coming back to reality Rory started frowning again because of the awkward silence that hung in the air.  
  
"How was military school?" She tried talking to him again.  
  
"It was." His response was met with a frown. Berating himself for being bitter towards her he continued. After all it wasn't her fault he couldn't date a girl for more then one week without remembering her. The one who got away...  
  
"Military school was better then this place. I met real people who cared nothing about my status or last name. Unlike this place," He waved his hand gesturing around them. "All these fake smiles and cheerfulness." He echoed her earlier thoughts.  
  
She grinned at that. "I missed you." She said impulsively surprising even herself.  
  
Shocked at the sincerity in her voice he stared at her, mouth agape. Quickly recovering he smirked. "Missed me and my body? I knew you would Mare." He said confidently with a wink, shine returning to his eyes.  
  
"My name is RORY! R-O-R-Y!" She scoffed exasperated but still smiled," I also said nothing about missing your body," she paused letting her eyes skim over his body. "It's not much anyway." Rory finished with a straight face, looking him directly in the eyes.  
  
Tristan swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed when Rory Gilmore, the shy bookworm, checked him out. "You don't have to deny it Rory. Everyone knows you want to pull me out onto that balcony and have your way with me. You don't have to resist the temptation you know."  
  
Rory nearly choked on her drink when Tristan made the comment about the balcony. When she knew she wasn't going to die from choking to death she burst out laughing, leaving a bewildered Tristan to stare at her.  
  
"Care to enlighten me as to why you're laughing so hard that people are staring?"  
  
It took Rory a while to finally calm down. She slowly stood up straight and fixed her dress that had gone awry during her laughing fit. "It's just." Rory took a deep breath trying to calm down. "I was conceived on a balcony."  
  
"What?" Tristan laughed slightly out of confusion and slightly because of the irony.  
  
"My mother and father they." She began laughing again unable to finish her sentence, Tristan joined in this time.  
  
Once their laughter had ceased they found themselves staring at each other.  
  
"Tristan, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" a voice interrupted their moment.  
  
Rory slightly jumped at the new voice. Now blushing she looked at the source of the voice. She saw a man about her age standing there; He was very handsome, auburn curled hair, and laughing brown eyes.  
  
"I'm Devin." He introduced himself putting his hand out.  
  
"Lorelai, Lorelai Gilmore." She said taking his hand and shaking it. His grip was perfect. Nice and strong. She inwardly rolled her eyes as she remembered what her mother had said about men and their grip "The better the grip the better the guy."  
  
"Rory this is my cousin Devin." Tristan spoke grimly frowning.  
  
"Rory? I thought your name was Lorelai?  
  
"Oh, it was! Is I mean. Rory is a nickname. You can call me that if you want. I've become accustomed to introducing myself as Lorelai in school and such, that's all. But Lorelai or Rory is fine." She rambled not wanting to seem rude.  
  
"It's fine. Lorelai sounds beautiful.like you." She blushed while Tristan rolled his eyes at what he thought to be the most commonly used, unoriginal pick-up line known to man.  
  
"Lorelai Gilmore, may I have this dance?" Devin asked giving her one of his charming smiles, which could send a thousand females swooning.  
  
Completely forgetting about Tristan Rory started to answer yes but was interrupted.  
  
"Rory! Oh my god thank god I found you! Your grandmother is just terribly horrid!" Lorelai finished in a posh tone ignoring her company. "You don't think I was being immature when I told those people I was dying. I mean I did it for kicks. No harm really down right? Most of these people could use a good prank." Lorelai finished an evil glint in her eyes and a smirk starting to form on her lips.  
  
"Mom." Rory warned.  
  
Ignoring Rory, Lorelai finally paid attention to the two young men greeting them. "Hi, I'm Rory's mom, Lorelai." Devin raised his eyebrows at this but remained quiet. "I'm sorry we have to go! Bye." Lorelai finished grabbing Rory's arm, trying to drag her away. Rory stood rooted to her spot. "Come on, QUICK! Before we're forced to stay. I even got Luke to start the car so we can make a quick getaway." Lorelai tugged on her arm again. Rory finally budged.  
  
"My grandmother knows how to contact me, talk to her." She said over her shoulder and then allowed herself to be pulled away leaving both boys wondering who the message was for. 


End file.
